Date: April 4, 2005

The Honorable (senator’s name)

Senate Education Committee

State Capitol, Room (use attached info. for correct room #)

Sacramento, CA. 95814

Re: (enter your name here) Support for SB462 Requested Position: SUPPORT

Dear Senator (senator’s name),

I am writing to express my support for SB462 (Morrow), the learning/resource center operation waiver bill for highly accountable charter schools, as well as to request your support for SB462 in the Senate Education Committee hearing on Wednesday, April 13^th, 2005.

I am a teacher with Connecting Waters Charter School (CWCS), a personalized learning school. The learning/resource centers operated by CWCS are one of the primary benefits my students receive from attending CWCS.[If appropriate, place your comments of how your students have benefited from the learning centers here] Connecting Waters’ learning/resource centers are a vital component of CWCS’ education model and are used to provide our students with classes, labs, tutoring, special education services, assessments, state testing, resource libraries and other direct instruction related educational services. Without these critically important learning centers, CWCS will be forced to severely diminish the quality of education for a large percentage of its students. For example, even though Connecting Waters Charter School is chartered in Stanislaus County, a majority of its students reside in San Joaquin County. Under current law, CWCS will soon be forced to close its learning center in San Joaquin County. In addition, current law effectively prohibits CWCS from opening new learning centers for students residing in adjacent counties (Alameda, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, Santa Clara, and Tuolumne). Passage of SB462 would allow CWCS to more effectively serve ALL of its students by allowing learning/resource centers to be operated not only in Stanislaus County, but in surrounding areas as well. This would greatly benefit the children I serve.

SB462 is a technical clean up bill that corrects this unintended negative consequence in current law toward highly accountable schools like ours. Current law, which goes into effect on June 30, 2005, stipulates that non-classroom charter schools may only operate learning/resource centers in adjacent counties if they maintain a majority of their student population in their sponsoring county. However, there are significant variations county to county in the number of charter schools available and in the need and demand for a unique educational model like offered by CWCS. Connecting Waters Charter School is highly accountable as evidenced by the 100% SB 740 funding determination received since we began in 2002. Furthermore, Connecting Waters is a Candidate for Accreditation, approved by the Schools Commission of WASC. The standards of accountability in SB462 ensure that charter schools seeking a waiver from the majority student population requirement are in good standing with the CDE, are meeting fiscal and operational compliance requirements, are seeking WASC accreditation, are not engaged in profiteering, and are dutifully reporting the locations of all their learning centers. 

SB462 makes good common sense and sound public policy. SB462 adds no additional cost to the state by aligning with current law and regulatory process to hold charter schools to high standards of accountability, and supports those highly accountable schools to provide all of their students with the highest quality educational services. Please join me in supporting SB462.

Sincerely,

(you)

Teacher, Connecting Waters Charter School

(phone number, optional)